Walt Disney is credited for creating such wonderful things as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. However, he cannot take the credit for creating other well-loved characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White. They are almost automatically associated with Disney because Disney turned old fables(寓言) into cartoon movies.
The original Cinderella varies very much from the Disney version we know today. It started off with the girl mourning her mother’s death and going to her tomb three times a day. In addition, there were only birds that helped Cinderella; there was no such thing as a fairy godmother or helpful mice, nor was there mention of a horse and carriage.
The stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella’s food into the ashes of the fire and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence（因此）her name.
In the original story, the king’s ball actually lasted for three days. With the help of the birds, the girl, beautifully dressed, danced with the prince on all three nights and the prince fell in love with her. However, she broke away from him to rush back home each night. On the last night, the prince placed soothing sticky on the stairs; as Cinderella made her escape, a shoe got stuck on it.
Here now is where the story becomes unpleasant: when the prince went to the house looking for the girl whose foot fit the shoe, the wicked(邪恶的) stepmother told one of her two daughters to cut off her big toe to fit into the shoe. The daughter did as told. So the prince took her away to be his bride. But when they passed the tomb of Cinderella’s mother, the birds called out to the prince,
“Turn and peep, there’s blood in the shoe;
the shoe is too small, the true bride waits for you.” ZXXK
Realizing he had been tricked, the prince returned the daughter to her mother. The other then had to cut off part of her heel in order to fit into the shoe, with the same result. Only Cinderella’s foot fit perfectly and so the prince chose to marry her. The story ends with the wedding day: as Cinderella’s two stepsisters followed her, pretending to be devoted to her so that they could enjoy the king’s riches, two birds flew by and plucked(啄) out their eyes. Because of their wickedness and falsehood, they had to spend the rest of their days blind.
The original Cinderella is so different from the Disney version. Thank goodness Disney made such changes; it indeed was a wise move.
1.What dose the underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Such wonderful things.
B. Other well-loved characters.
C. Old fables.
D. Cartoon movies.
2.How did Cinderella get her name?
A. The Birds came up with it.
B. It was given by Disney.
C. It came from the word “ash”.
D. She got it from her mother.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the original story?
A. Helpful mice got Cinderella a beautiful dress.
B. The ball was held to celebrate the prince’s wedding.
C. Cinderella left her shoe on the stairs on purpose.
D. The birds told the prince that he had been cheated.
4.The moral of the original story is that ____________.
A. a wicked person cannot escape punishment.
B. a devoted person certainly deserves respect.
C. a well-behaved child earns a great reward.
D. a dishonest child cannot get mother love.
5.What does the author think of the Disney version?
A. Excellent. B. Ordinary C. Dull. D. Ridiculous.
It was Mother’s Day morning last year and I was doing my shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were leaving, we found that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and had hit her head on the concrete. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock.
Walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very upset about what had happened to the couple. He said to me, “Mum, it’s not much fun falling over in front of everyone.”
At the front of the supermarket a charity(慈善) group had set up a stand selling cooked sausages and flowers to raise funds. Tenyson suggested that we should buy the lady a flower. “It will make her feel better,” he said. I was amazed that he’d come up with such a sweet idea. So we went over to the flower seller and asked her if we could buy a flower for the lady to cheer her up. “Just take it,” she replied. “I can’t take your money for such a wonderful gesture.”
By now paramedics（救援人员）had arrived, and were attending the injured woman. As we walked up to her, my son became intimidated by all the blood and medical equipment. He said he was just too scared to go up to her. ZXXK
Instead I gave the flower to the woman’s husband and told him, “ My son was very upset for your wife and wanted to give her this flower to make her feel better.”
At that, the old man started crying and said, “Thank you so much, you have a wonderful son. Happy Mother’s Day to you.”
The man then bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Though badly hurt and shaken, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile.
1.What dose the author intend to tell us?
A. One can never be too careful.
B. Actions speak louder than words.
C. Love begins with a little smile.
D. A small act of kindness brings a great joy.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The elderly woman was knocked down by Tenyson.
B. Tenyson’s idea of buying a flower gained his father’s support.
C. Tenyson’s care for the elderly woman puzzled the flower seller.
D. The elderly woman was moved to tears by Tenyson’s gesture.
3.The underlined word “intimidated” in the fourth paragraph probably means “___________”.
A. astonished B. struck C. frightened D. excited
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Flower Power
B. Mother’s Day
C. An Accidental Injury
D. An Embarrassing Moment
From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital _____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I _____ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) _________about build self-confidence and working toward a ________.
So it was with really great______that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and ______my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt ______rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t _________lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, _______too many of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn’t ________there. When he retired three years ago, he _____ his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he ______stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ______? I worried, remembering those split seconds______ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would _______. But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the _____fingers that once baited(装饵于) my fishing lines. And I______he had been doing what music teachers always stress:___ _____the music and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m ________of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so______,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
1.A. reflected B. explained C. meant D. proved
2.A. would B. could C. might D. should
3.A. nothing B. everything C. anything D. something
4.A. goal B. stage C. journey D. chance
5.A. trouble B. satisfaction C. strength D. disappointment
6.A. kept B. sent C. watched D. felt
7.A. through B. from C. against D. before
8.A. miss B. afford C. select D. understand
9.A. as B. once C. if D. while
10.A. educated B. protected C. stuck D. spoilt
11.A. allowed B. invited C. inspired D. persuaded
12.A. roughly B. simply C. merrily D. curiously
13.A. words B. videos C. notes D. lessons
14.A. decades B. weeks C. hours D. moments
15.A. play B. freeze C. click D. adjust
16.A. same B. warm C. different D. dirty
17. A. predicted B. realized C. imagined D. insisted
18.A. pass over B. turn up C. bring in D. concentrate on
19.A. ashamed B. aware C. tired D. proud
20.A. casually B. anxiously C. nicely D. frequently
—I can't remember those grammar rules!
—__________. Practice more.
A. You're not alone B. It's hard to say
C. I'm afraid not D. It's up to you
Pick yourself up. Courage is doing you're afraid to do.
A. that B. what C. how D. whether
As a grassroots singer, she reads everything she can concerning music, and takes every opportunity to improve herself.
A. catch sight of B. get hold of C. take charge of D. make mention of
